Stalemate
by doctorwhorox97
Summary: Solve the puzzle. End the stasis. Break the stalemate. But someone has to loose. The stage is set, but can Dr. Daniel Pierce solve its mysteries before it's too late?
1. Chapter 1

The sound of a balloon popping.

A textbook slamming on a desk.

The snap of a battered tree branch in the wind.

The clap of a pair of hands in a silent room.

Abrupt noises. The kind I don't like. Yet none of them compare to the noise that just rang out. That noise. Well, that noise just made time stop. The scene before me has one possible outcome. A single trajectory can not be altered, and it is the only one that matters.

A gunshot has just been fired.

That sound resonated just so minutely differently from any other. It was abrupt, it was a bang, it was just a noise. But there was no mistaking it. Now I stand in a still, silent room. My mind has been paused, and time has been crippled. There are five players on this frozen stage.

There is a man with wild eyes and tousled hair, a gun in hand with flame still at the tip.

There is agent Kate Morretti of the FBI, whos face is the epitome of shock and horror.

There is her partner, who is just beginning to turn around at the sound of the gun.

There is I, Dr. Daniel Peirce, full of fear and confusion.

Finally, there is a bullet. It is about six inches from the barrel of the gun, but it is miles from the control of its firer.

Agent Kate Morretti shows the most panic, but the bullet shows no interest in her. Her partner is the easiest target, but where's the pride in praying on the weak? The bullet is on its path to me, but it seems to have hit a roadblock in its course. My mind jump starts but the bullet does not. Nothing else does. The bullet is coming for me. This is a good thing. It is not headed for Kate. But this is a bad thing. I don't have a way out of this. I test my feet. They come up, they go down, they move around. Maybe I do have a way out of this. This obviously doesn't make sense, but I choose to disregard this fact and work with what I've got. I can move, and the bullet can't, which would seem to give me the upper hand, the question is how can I use it. I can get out of the way, but how do I get the bullet to move.

The true question is not how to save myself, but how to end this stalemate. It's a rather difficult one, as there's not even a touch of connection to reality in this situation. I navigate the scene, wandering through its players, and come to rest right in front of the bullet. I trace its metal with my finger and find it freezing, as if even heat could not exist in the stasis of this moment. I move beyond it to the gun. I run my hand back and forth through the sparks at the end of the gun, but feel nothing. I yank my eyes away from there and up to the eyes of the man behind it. They are filled with rage and cruelty, but behind that lens are fear and a misunderstood grief.

He had just lost his mother. She was murdered, and she was the only person truly present in his life. Kate and I had come out here to find him, he was hiding out in an old house they used to live in. He did not greet us politely. I sigh out of sorrow for him, and out of frustration for my surroundings. I continue further past him, moving in front of Kate. She is beautiful, I've always thought so, from the first day I met her. Of course I can never tell her. Just like I can never tell her any of the other things I've always found amazing about her. But I have a feeling she wouldn't want me to.

I look around once more. This is a puzzle, and I can't resist. I just need more pieces, I can't do this with what I've got. Kate jars as if she has just woken up, and brushes the hair out of her face. That'll do.


	2. Chapter 2

Kate is obviously panicking. She practically yells my name, and looks up at me as if I'm about to disappear.

"Daniel, Daniel are you ok? I heard the shot and you were over there and-" She runs her hands up and down my chest checking for wounds. I have to concentrate on keeping my heartbeat down.

I step back and shake my head quickly trying to clear it. I put my arms out in front of me to keep her back.

"I-I-I'm fine Kate. Or at least I think so."

"Hold on a second. That bullet is still in the air. Oh Daniel. You're far from fine."

"But I'm whole Kate. I'm fine, my body is fine."

"Your mind isn't. It's obvious that I'm a hallucination."

"I suppose I know that."

"So why am I here? And when did this delusion start?"

"I- I don't know."

"You don't know which?"

"I don't know either. It all seems so real."

"It always does doesn't it?"

"I suppose so. Do you remember picking me up from my house? Did we ever leave for this place? Or am I wandering my house like a mad man right now?"

"Daniel, I'm your delusion. I'm inside your mind; I remember what you remember. I'm not exactly a reliable witness."

"I suppose that's true."

"So let's try the other one. Why am I here?"

"I think you're here to help me solve the puzzle."

"What's the puzzle? I don't see a puzzle here, I just see a room."

"A room that's frozen in time."

"Still not getting the puzzle part."

"I have to start it moving again."

"I see. You have to end the stalemate."

"Yes. Yes. The stalemate."

"Well what's causing it?"

"I don't know. My mind I suppose."

"Your mind or your emotions?"

"What do you mean?"

"Your fear Daniel. It's not just you and that bullet that are at a stalemate."

"What are you talking about?"

"You and me Daniel. It's obvious we're attracted to each other, we like each other, so what's causing the stalemate?"

I know my face is that of a dear in the headlights, but I can't seem to fix it.

"I- Wha- Why are we talking about this now?"

"You tell me! I'm part of your head!"

"I- I- I need to solve the puzzle."

"Fine!" She flings her arms in the air and brushes past me. She begins to walk purposefully toward the bullet suspended in the air.

"Kate! Kate what are you doing?"

"I'm solving the puzzle for you Daniel." She winks with the knowledge of my subconscious.

She crosses the room and stands in front of the bullet. Immediately everything starts to move. Now I'm the one panicking. The room is moving in slow motion, the bullet millimeters at a time, but still closer and closer to Kate's heart. To my heart. She's part of me.

"NO! Kate stop! Get out of the way!"

"Why?"

"Because it will kill you!"

"And why would you care?"

"Because I care about you!"

"Not good enough."

"Because you're my friend!"

"Still not good enough."

"Because you're my student and my partner and one of the only people who have stuck around for me who are real!"

"NOT. GOOD. ENOUGH. DANIEL!" The bullet is inches from her.

"BECAUSE I LOVE YOU!"

She steps back and the bullet slows so it's barely moving.

"There we go." Her voice is softer and understanding.

"Don't scare me like that."

"But fear is the only thing that will motivate you. It's what motivates everything you do. You're afraid. You're afraid of me leaving you, you're afraid of me pitying you, you're afraid of me not loving you, but most of all you're afraid that I do love you. And of course, you're afraid of that bullet. You're afraid of that bullet, or some other bullet, because there's always one moving toward me. Just like this one."

They both stare at the bullet, still gliding ever so slowly.

"You're afraid of me, because I chose to work in law enforcement, because I'm always in danger, and you can't always save me."

I step towards her and put my hands on either side of her face.

"You terrify me Kate Moretti."

I lean down and place my lips on hers ever so gently. She reciprocates the contact, rising up to the balls of her feet to compensate for the height difference. I pull back after a moment and she smiles warmly at me. Then she steps away from me and starts to walk the room again.

"Of course your fear is also what caused this hallucination in the first place."

"What do you mean?"

"Look at the bullet."

I do, and notice for the first time that it has once more stopped.

"You saw you were in danger. There was a gun pointed at you, there was a loud noise, there was utter chaos. Your mind compensated."

"So that would mean this delusion started when the gun was fired." I breath a sigh of relief. I haven't been out of my mind since before we left, or when we entered the building, or anything like that. I'm always afraid of suddenly realizing I haven't been in reality for a very long time.

"Probably." Kate replies. Her face is chagrined though.

"What's wrong now?" I ask.

"It started after the bullet was fired Daniel. Time can't actually stop, and that bullet has one possible trajectory."

"Have I-"

I practically choke.

"Kate have I been shot?"


	3. Chapter 3

"The stalemate must be broken." Words are coming out of Kate's mouth but they make no sense. "But someone has to loose. I think you've lost Daniel. But you can't accept it."

I've lost? I've lost what? My sanity obviously, but have I lost my life as well? I walk over to the bullet and stand in front of it. That unalterable path takes it just to the left of my heart, a placement that is very hard to survive. I blink back the tears that I feel creeping to my eyes and swallow the lump that is rising in my throat. This is just a piece of the puzzle. Maybe I'm dead. Maybe I'm alive. Either way I'm caught up in my head, and I need to get out of it, weather it is to move on or to wake up.

"You have to lose Daniel." Kate's voice surrounds me again. I blink once more and something flashes, a lot like the spark of the gun, causing me to crouch in fear.

"KATE?" I yell.

"What?" She replies in a monotone voice.

"Kate did you see that?"

"See what?" This is unreal. There's no way I'm seeing things that aren't there inside a delusion. That's not possible, my mind can't be playing tricks inside of tricks. Then again, I am a genius. I blink and it flashes again. I look over and gauge Kate's reaction. There is still no recognition on her face.

"You have to break the stalemate," she says, "But before you do, I have a question for you. You're scared to love me, and you have so many reasons. But why are you so paralyzing terrified that I might love you?" I smile gruffly.

"Why does it matter now?" I might be dead, I might be dying, I might be making a recovery, but it hardly seems the time to confront this.

"Oh it always matters Daniel. You're the scientist; ask the questions. What's so terrible about the idea of me feeling the same way about you that you do about me?"

I blink furiously but the world keeps flashing bright white, and I walk closer to Kate instinctively to try to protect her from whatever is happening. I look around analyzing the scene; taking in all the clues my mind is giving me.

"Are you just ignoring me now?" Her voice is impatient. I turn to face her and see just how much of a coward I am. Here she is and here she's been the whole time, but I can't bring myself to do anything. Whether I do the right thing or the wrong thing, I can't keep tugging her along like this. I need to do something.

"There are some things that I can't admit to myself." Her smile is small and sorrowful.

"You have to break the stalemate Daniel." She practically whispers it, and I know that this time she's not talking about the bullet. I avert my eyes from her face and look down.

Blink. Flash.

Blink. Flash.

She's right, I have to end this now because I can't stand it anymore. There's pressure from all directions, Kate's inquiries, the encroaching bullet, but time just won't pass. I'm stuck in this puzzle, I'm stuck in this moment, I'm stuck in my relationships, I'm stuck in my life and I'm stuck in my mind. I'm pulling myself down through mud. I'm trapped in quicksand and I'm not even climbing. I'm being attacked and I'm not even fighting. I'm a coward and a recluse and a paranoid schizophrenic and I've been hiding behind all of it to shelter myself from the fact that I can't bring myself to live. And it's taken this, it's taken literally staring at death for what seems like forever but is not measurable time, to make me realize that I don't want to anymore. I want to live, I want to climb Kilimanjaro, or at least think I might someday. I want to dream again, like I did when I was younger.

"But everybody thinks like that. Everybody wants to be younger." Kate responds to my thoughts, which I suppose shouldn't surprise me since she's part of my mind. "Everybody wants to have it all ahead of them again. And everybody affirms their life when they're faced with their death and running on adrenaline. Question is will you really act on it?"

Blink. Flash.

Blink. Flash.

I've got to. I plant a light kiss on Kate's forehead and let her go. I walk, with purpose this time, to stand in front of the bullet. Breath in. Blink. Flash. Breath out. Blink. Flash. I have to lose to this mad man, and I have to lose to my madness. I have to let it win or I will lose myself. I have to break the stalemate, and I have to lose. I look up straight at Kate, locking her eyes with mine.

"Just remember who you'll take down with you." She says softly. Then she says my name, but she doesn't. Her mouth isn't moving, she's just staring at me. Yet her voice echoes around the room.

"Daniel." I see the deathly metal start to move again. I can lose. I can let this happen. I can let myself lose and win in the process, because I choose this. I am ending this delusion, it will not control me, I can lose.

"Daniel." Her mouth still doesn't move, and her voice sounds far away. I take one last breath and close my eyes. Everything flashes to bright, blinding white.


	4. Chapter 4

The bright light is still blinding me, and Kate's voice is still echoing around me.

"Daniel?"

"Daniel?"

"Can you hear me?"

I blink furiously and squint, and slowly but surely my eyes adjust to the fluorescence. I am leaning back, and staring at the ceiling, which houses a collection of built in light fixtures. I blink a few more times, and try to sit up, but am stopped by sudden and extreme pain near my heart.

I hear myself let out a yell without choosing to do so, and fall back, but luckily something soft is there to catch me. I feel someone lay their hands gently on my shoulders, and the dreadful light is finally blocked by a familiar face that moves into my vision.

"Kate?" My throat is scratchy and my voice is hoarse. She is smiling slightly, but I can see the beginnings of tears in her eyes.

"Oh thank god." She whispers and places a kiss on my forehead. I purposefully keep my face impassive; for all I know this is another trick from my brain.

"What's wrong?" I say, preoccupied with the tears on her face. My voice has regained some power.

"You were shot Daniel. You gave me one hell of a scare."

My memory is beginning to come back, and suddenly the pain in my heart makes sense.

"Sorry for that." I say with a hint of surprise.

"If anyone should be apologizing it's me." She replies to my surprise.

"What do you mean?"

"I should have- I shouldn't have- It was too dangerous. It was my call and-"  
"Kate it was not a dangerous situation. We were aiming to find the son so he could lead us to his brother."

I know my tone sounds dismissive; almost condescending; but I don't want her to believe this is her fault.

"But I-"

"But nothing. This was a chance encounter that nobody could have stopped. If anything, I provoked him, asking him all those questions about his brother. I stepped outside my circle of responsibility."

I see her laugh a little at this.

"Now can we drop it please?" I attempt to change the subject. "Why do my joints feel like the tin man's?"

She smiles compassionately, which has always been unique to her. Kate has one of the most expressive faces I've ever encountered, so why do I find it so difficult to read her?

"You've been in a coma for five days now. They kept telling me you should be fine, but I was still worried. Your eyes started to flutter a few hours ago though, and you started to mutter something about stalemate."

I nod and say,

"It must be broken."

"What?"

"Nothing." So the frozen moment had really been five days, and that last decision several hours. Yet none of this knowledge gives me the courage to break the real stalemate. I look up at Kate, who is once more looking concerned. Suddenly, the words I've been longing to say for so long are on my lips. The motions I've wanted to make are on my fingertips, and I can feel my eyes burning with all the emotion I feel for her. I purposefully break the eye contact before I do something stupid. Still looking at my lap I attempt again to create a subject of conversation.

"I've been out for five days? Have you been here the whole time?"

"No no I went home."

Kate is a terrible liar.

"No you didn't."

"Ok fine I slept in the chair."

I sigh at her devotion. It is exactly what I can't accept.

"Kate you need some real sleep. Go home! Get some rest! I'm awake, I'm alive, I'm fine. You on the other hand are giving the impression of death warmed over."

"Ok ok I will. But I'll be back tomorrow morning."

"I'll look foreword to it." I say and shoot her a smile. She grabs my hand and squeezes it and I can hear my heart beat increase speed on a monitor somewhere. She pretends not to notice and slowly lets go, then leaves the room with one last glance in my direction.

"WAIT!" I find myself calling her back without really meaning to.

"Yeah?" her head pops back around the door of the room.

I stutter and flounder, why did I do this?

"Did you ever solve the case?"

She smiles broadly, my favorite kind, and nods.

"It was the brother. They had each other's backs. Mark, the man who shot you, ended up caught in the middle. His brother killed his mother, and he loved both of them dearly. He didn't know who he should side with, so he went with the living member of the family. When you started asking questions, he panicked, because he wasn't sure of his choice. God it was a mess of a family though. Love is such a strange thing."

"Yeah. I suppose it is." I reply.

"Anyways. Night!"

"Night Kate."

She disappears once more.

I suddenly become very preoccupied with my fingers.

"You didn't think it'd be that easy did you?"

Natalie's eyes meet mine as I raise my head once more.

"You didn't leave your subconscious behind with that coma Daniel. And you didn't leave your feelings for Kate in your dreams either. Haven't you learned anything?"


	5. Chapter 5

I absentmindedly surf the channels and talk to Natalie, however as has been the case for around two weeks now, she refuses to talk back. It has been about a month since I was discharged from the hospital, and I haven't worked a case with Kate yet. I'm itching to get back in the game; I am in dire need of a puzzle. The monotony of the hospital can grate on your nerves after a while. Natalie stares at me judgmentally. She has been urging me to call Kate for many reasons. The dark haired FBI agent visited regularly in the hospital, and still stops by to see how I'm doing, but never with a case. Natalie has employed this form of silent protest to attempt to make me take the first step. We both know, or I know, so she knows since she's part of me, that Kate probably thinks I'm afraid to go in the field after the incident. She doesn't want to pressure me, but as we become more and more careful around the issue, we become more careful around each other as well. The distance between us is growing, and now I really do have to choose. Do I let it happen, and slowly let us drift apart, or do I man up and talk to her? The stalemate has reached its endpoint; the game must come to a close. Of course I am afraid, but not of what might happen in the field. As usual, I am afraid of Kate Moretti. A knock on the door jars me out of my reverie.

"Daniel!" It's Kate's voice and she sounds determined.

"Coming!" I reply as I extract myself from the couch. I rush over and open the door. She stands there, slightly drenched from the rain I hadn't noticed was falling outside the windows, but with an expression that could make the devil himself cringe in fear.

"Come in." I say, more than a little concerned for my wellbeing based on the fire in her eyes, but still not wanting her to catch hypothermia.

"We need to talk." Lewicki comes bounding down the stares at the disruption. Kate turns her gaze on him and asks for a towel. I have zoned out to a degree in confusion.

"What's going on?" I ask with some trepidation.

"Look, Daniel-" She is interrupted by Lewicki handing her a towel. She thanks him, and the TA nods and practically flies out of the room.

"Do you want to do case work or not? Are you afraid or are you ok with it? I can feel us walking on eggshells and I never want to do that with you, so tell me what you're feeling."

I am a deer in the headlights. I am right back in front of that bullet, but time won't stop. It just keeps ticking on, as I stare dumbfounded at the remarkable woman in front of me.

"Tell her Daniel. Answer her question." Comes Natalie's voice from somewhere.

I take a deep breath. My heart breaks, but I have made my decision.

"I'm going to need you for this." I whisper to Natalie, even though I know she is part of me, and this makes no logical sense. I feel her appear beside me, and take strength in her presence.

"I don't think I can work cases anymore Kate."

Her disappointment is etched on her face for only a moment, but I can still feel it in my gut, my heart, my bones. If there is one thing I never wanted to do, it is let down Kate Moretti. But here we are, and I have to. I let all those puzzles slide through my fingers, and I let the extraordinary agent slide with them. This is how it has to be.

"I see." She says. "Ok." She pauses. I can tell she is trying to find the next step, and realizing there isn't one. The game is over. She thinks she's lost, I see it in her eyes, but really she's won. In several weeks or several months or several years, she'll realize that, and she'll be grateful. I know she will. The stalemate is shattered on the floor, the scales have fallen off there balance. It is over, and she has won. Then suddenly, her lips are on mine. This is not a move I was anticipating. Good god she can play me like the piano that I love so much. I know I should be pushing her away, I should be telling her all the reasons that I have locked away inside me why this can't happen, I should be running from this temptation, but the kiss is pure bliss. I feel alive, I feel young, I feel invigorated in a way I haven't in years. It's ten times better than a puzzle, better than any moment I hallucinated with Natalie, and I realize, maybe I do have what other people have, I've just been ignoring it. She pulls her lips back from mine and takes a step back.

"I don't care if you never work another damn case in your life Daniel, I'm in love with you, and that's what I really came here to say tonight." She looks at me with those perfect eyes, and she knows that I love her too. She also knows that I won't say it, not yet anyway. But she must know, because my heart is beating out of my chest and my eyes are burning with desire. She gives me a small smile, turns around, and disappears back into the rain. I stand there, dazed and on cloud nine, until Lewicki comes down the stairs and I fall back to earth. Reality comes crashing down on top of me, and so do all my reasons, all my fears, and all my dreams.


	6. Chapter 6

Lewicki has asked me a question. Actually, I'm fairly certain he has asked me the same question several times. I am staring at him, which is not the response he is looking for, or at least that is what his increasingly impatient facial expression implies. He comes closer to me. His hands are on my shoulders. His words are bouncing around my head, but not creating any kind of comprehension.

"Say?"

Piece number one.

"What-"

Piece number two.

"She-"

Piece number three.

"What did she say?"

It finally all came through.

"She- I- We have to go Lewicki. Start packing."

"What? Doc, why the hell would we do that?"

"Just start packing!"

"NO! This is one you've got to explain, why do you want us to pack up and leave?"

"She- She- She kissed me. She- She told me she loved me. We have to go now!"

"Why? That's a good thing isn't it?"

"NO! NO LEWICKI! IT ISN'T A GOOD THING! IT CAN'T BE A GOOD THING!"

"DOC YOU NEED TO CALM DOWN."

Lewicki grabs me by the shoulders and sits me down on the couch.

"You obviously have feelings for her, so why won't you let this happen?"

"Please Lewicki, I will explain, but please just start packing. I'm not ready yet."

"We can't pack up and leave overnight Daniel."

"Yes we can, I'll call the University, you call anyone you need to, but don't tell them where we're going."

"No. Think reasonably, you and Kate can work it out. We are not leaving, not tonight, not next week, you're not running from this one."

He's not going to change his mind, I can tell. His feet are planted firmly, he's not fidgeting or breaking eye contact. He's not going to do this one.

"Fine, fine. I'll give it a while."

"Good. Now go to bed Daniel, you need your rest."

"Alright. Ok ok. Fine."

"I'll see you in the morning." The statement has not even a hint of questioning in it. I nod at him, not making eye contact, and listen as his feet ascend the stairs once more. I can tell by the way the noise pauses on the landing that he is waiting for me to follow him, so I do. His door closes, so does mine, but he starts to doze, and I do not. I pull a suitcase out from under my bed and start to throw things in it. I keep my footfalls and my actions quiet, I have no intention of another confrontation with the persistent TA. Clothing, toiletries, and even a set of sheets fly into the suitcase by way of my ever more panicked hands. I open the bathroom door with more force then I should, and look in the mirror. Behind that mirror lies my greatest fear. I yank it open and wrap my tense and trembling fingers around the small bottle of medication. It follows me back to my room and into my suitcase, just as it follows me everywhere. I look around the room, it's emptiness hitting me hard. The only thing left is a notepad and pencil sitting on the vacated bedside table. I invent one last task, and call the taxi company to come pick me up, but then once more, I am at stalemate with an object. I sigh; it truly is too late for that now. The pen is in my hand, the empty paper before me, and my deepest fears scrawling on it.

_Dear Kate,_

_ I'm very sorry about this. I never wanted to hurt you, but if I let this happen, it will hurt you more than my actions tonight ever could. I want you to know that this is in no way due to a lack of affection for you; I've had feelings for you since you first spoke in my class. I will miss your presence, but of course, I have to explain. You are the most loyal and persistent person I've ever met Kate. You never give up, and nothing can dissuade you from your purpose. But in this case, that would be a disadvantage. I love you Kate. As much as I'd like to, I can't deny that. But if I pursue this relationship, I do you a disservice that I could never forgive myself for, and years from now, you would realize and regret. I'm not good for you Kate. You've got all that ambition and potential, and I would hold you back. Even now you are constantly watching me for symptoms, keeping track of my schedule, and worrying about what a case might do to my condition. I thank you for all those actions, they mean a lot to me, but I can't subject you to them for a lifetime. You have entered my world and not shied away, which is something not many people have the courage to do, but you have not lived in it Kate, and you can't. It is after all, my world, and I can't bring you down into its mess of demons. Your future should be your own, without the hindrance of an old crazy professor who's stuck in his routine. I'm so sorry Kate. Thank you, for everything, you have changed my life in so many ways. I'm afraid this is goodbye though. Have a wonderful life; I'm sure you will. _

_Love,_

_Daniel P._

I rip my eyes from the paper before I can stain it with tears. I lift my suitcase and descend the stares with it as quietly as possible. I place the notepad on the hall table, pen beside it, in plane view of the door. I wander to the kitchen, throw a few more things into another bag, and grab the wad of cash that I keep hidden in a secret compartment of my tea cupboard. Then with a sigh, I go and wait on the curb, leaving this life for the last time. It's a shame; I had grown rather used to it. As the autumn wind caresses my face, the pain I am feeling in my heart as I loose this final stalemate is worse than any bullet could ever be. But I am absolutely certain of my decision, and by morning I will be exiting a train in New York City, with an untraceable ticket and a new phone number. Sometimes, keeping yourself out of a government database isn't related to conspiracy theories at all. I see a speck of yellow at the tip of the street. I close my eyes and wait for the sound of the engine to pull in front of me, but it never does. When I open my eyes, Kate is standing there in a bright yellow raincoat. She looks at me pensively for a short while, those brown eyes glistening brighter than the pavement after the earlier rain. I look around briefly and realize that everything is frozen once more. Leaves are halfway fallen to the ground, and the traffic light visible from my house has been yellow for far too long.

"One more moment of stasis." I smile and breath in the unmoving air, basking in it's nonexistent glory. One more moment stuck with her. A warm smile is on her face and she reaches for my arm. She leans in and kisses me on the cheek. "Thank you." She whispers and pulls back, her touch disappearing from my skin. She turns and walks away disappearing around the frozen street corner. I close my eyes, and hear the leaf hit the ground. When I open them, there is a taxi in front of me. I climb in, and I am gone.

**I'm not usually one for author's notes, but I'm not sure if this is where I should end this story. It's where I had planned to end it in the planning stages, but I feel it could be resolved in a happier way as well, and I am looking for opinions as to whether or not I should add one or two more chapters. Thank you all for reading and reviewing!**


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